Ames High is a school with something for everyone. Clubs cater to a wide range of interests, and if you can’t find what you’re looking for, it’s easy to start a club of your own. Unfortunately, having so many clubs can lead to confusion about what each one does.

Catalyst, one of Ames High’s two Christ-focused organizations, is a club that many students have heard about, yet not many know about. Their promise of doughnuts to all who attend their weekly get-togethers have been broadcasted daily over the morning announcements since the club formed last year, and their posters can be found on walls throughout the school. But what do they do?

“It’s about student ministry,” says junior Joey Kosterman, who is part of Catalyst’s core team and helped (with his sister, Abby, who graduated last year) to spearhead the formation of the group in Ames High last year. “We’re trying to reach out to unchurched students on the Ames High campus and get them integrated into the best church that will fit them.”

Unlike many youth-led Christian groups, Catalyst is not directly tied to a specific church. Catalyst is a part of the Campus Movement, “A Movement of Students Who Want to See God Move In Our Lives and In Our School,” according to their website. The Movement started four years ago in Woodbury, Minnesota by members of a church in that town and has since spread.

Catalyst’s goals and mission are similar to the Federation of Christian Athletes (FCA), the other Christ-focused club at Ames High. The two clubs respect each other and share the common goal of demonstrating God’s love to the students of Ames High.

“We all have the goal of just being an outreach,” says junior Micheal Agbaje, one of the FCA’s student leaders.

Catalyst meets Wednesday mornings at 8:30 in Mrs. Seibert’s room, where there is praise and worship, sharing of testimonies, discussion of Bible verses, and of course, doughnuts.

Speak with Joey Kosterman or any other member of the core team if you have any questions regarding Catalyst or the Campus Movement, or check out their website, here.